Learning About Products Made In Industrial and Manufacturing Plants

Pointers For First Time Fabrication Projects

11 September 2017

Ryan Baker

Your company may have now reached the point where you're able to spend a little more on creating your products or designing new products altogether. Teaming up with a fabrication shop to make steel, nickel, aluminum, iron or other metal pieces is a new experience with its own considerations. It's possible to learn quickly, but you'll need these pointers before undertaking these projects.

1. Know Your Metals

One of the first things you'll have to grapple with is whether the metal you think you want for your fabrication project is the metal you need. For example, you might not realize many steel types exist and that they have different qualities which make them easier or more difficult to work with. Not only that, they have different appearances and price points. Cold rolled steel is rather dull, but it can often be worked more easily and cost less than warm rolled or stainless varieties, for example.

Different metals can handle higher amounts of heat; if you plan on using the fabricated pieces in larger products that will come into contact with heat on a regular basis, ensure you select metals with high tolerance.

2. Investigate Finishes

Whatever metal used, they may require finishing efforts to function their best. For example, if your pieces will be underwater or exposed to moisture, metal plating should be considered. Such finishing provides some protection against corrosion. If you anticipate that your pieces will encounter friction and constant abrasions each day, the finish you could want is so-called "blackening". Having a list of possible finishes n your mind to discuss with the shop is wise.

3. Think About Lasers

If company budgeting allows, laser cutting could be the easiest way to complete work. Uploading your team's software work to a machine configured to operate a cutting laser can create pieces that may need no additional smoothing, sanding or finishing work. If clearances are incorrect, the design can merely be updated. Discuss this method with both your team and the shop to know if this can work for your specific project

4. Check Clearances

The pieces you're ordering will need to work with other components so your finished products work properly. That means the size and other qualities of each piece must be correct, particularly if you're calculating such issues with software. Have a system for checking and ensuring the fabricated pieces you order will be right.

A fabrication shop, like Cincinnati Ventilating Company Inc, can make recommendations about each aspect of your project, so having a consultation before placing your order is recommended. Work with them on each step.

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